Observations of a demon
by Sperance
Summary: Wakfu. One-shot series. Rubilax is always there, watching. He does not talk much but that does no mean he has nothing to say. Thoughts of a demon sword on his companions
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here's some small tales, all told from the perfective (kind of) of Rubilax. Why the ever snarky demon sword? Because he's an outside observer. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wakfu or anything related to it.**

1-PAST

Sir Tristepin Percedal is a lousy liar. Whenever he tries to (which isn't often. He's a knight, after all) he stammers, blushes, looks away and basically destroys his deception before it even leaves his lips. It's somewhat surprising, Rubilax thinks, that being such a horrible fibber he's so good at hiding things. It probably has to do with the fact that Tristepin himself doesn't give it much mind.

When they sit around the fire and exchange stories, the guardian always mentions lessons he learned from Goultard, his days spent with his master or the times he trained with him, but nobody has yet asked the real question, which Rubilax knows it to be "Who are you, Pinpin, and where do you come from?"

That's the real issue here. Goultard is not his father, nor was Tristepin born from a cabbage, either. Nobody in their small group knows and Rubilax learned a long time ago his guardian is not hiding it out of malice. He just doesn't see the importance of those years. Rubilax knows, of course. Being a guardian is more than just holding the cursed object the shushu is in. He knows Tristepin as well as the knight knows himself, maybe even more.

And, somehow, Rubilax can understand the iop's train of thought. What would he tell them if they asked? The days of his infancy weren't filled with the nauseating happiness Yugo's were. He isn't the son of a king or a noble. He never was arranged to protect a princess. His life didn't even have the life lessons that old skinflint's did.

What would Tristepin talk about? How he was the youngest of eight siblings and he resembled none of them? How his home was small and smelly and always cold, the meager lands his father owned almost unable to provide for the whole family? Would the knight, maybe, talk about the gossips of his birth and conception, the only iop in his family? Talk about being ignored by his siblings and his parents, forever cold and hungry and so very alone?

Maybe tell them Tristepin Percedal isn't even his real name, but one he choose to adopt when he casted aside everything he had been to that point, when Goultard took him under his wing?

Of course Sir Tristepin Percedal would never talk about that. The simple notion is silly. But Rubilax knows he doesn't hide it out of shame or fear of ridicule. He just doesn't talk about it because it does not make for a good story. It's so mundane, so obvious, so _boring_; Tristepin himself deems it not worthy of being told, not even to that little girlfriend of his.

Everybody has fun stories to tell of the years before they formed the (ugh!) Brotherhood of the Tofu. The guardian's began when he ran away from his house to never return, tired of being ignored, cold and lonely. He wandered for almost a month, surviving as he could, before Goultard found him and saw his potential, entrusting him the sword Rubilx was trapped in. That's the moment Tristepin Percedal was born. Goultard gave him a new name, a mission and a goal. He became the father he had never actually had. Rubilax has seen into his heart, learned his past and motivations. He has seen the young iop grow in body and strength. Maybe even a bit in mind. And he has grudgingly come to respect him. He's different from most guardians: he's not a noble, he's not elegant or well read or even that smart, but he has become who he is by his own strength alone. Rubilax can respect that, even if it pains him to admit it. He wonders when he became so attached to the little dumbass.

Still, Rubilax can see that his past still nags at Tristepin's mind, but not as a sad thought but as a feeling of unfinished business. It takes the demon a few days to piece together what the iop actually wants: he wants to go back.

He wants to travel to that small, cold, smelly town and walk down the street with his head up, tall and proud of himself. He wants to visit his old home, knock at the door and face his family. He wants to show them Rubilax and tell them: 'See this sword? It's a shushu and he could destroy everything in this town in the blink of an eye. And I tamed his with my fists.' He wants to show them his friends and tell them: 'See the boy? I helped him find a lost race. The sadida is a princess. The enutrof is rich enough to buy this entire town. We once won a boufball tournament without any formal training.' He then will point at Evangelyne and say: 'See that cra? See how pretty and strong and smart she is? I love her. And she loves me.' And then he will smile and pat his father's shoulder: 'I am being noticed. I've done great things. I am _someone_. You were _wrong_.'

And it would be fair, because he rose from being nobody to get everything he desired since he was a kid. Using only his own strength and determination, he struggled out of mediocrity and became a real hero.

And, even if he doesn't want to admit it, Rubilax can respect that.

**AN: I plan on doing one for every main character of the show but I'm having trouble with some of them, so yeah. **

**Also, I hope this encourages people to write more about this nice show. It's a sin it has such a small fanbase XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here's the next one. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wakfu**

2-HONESTY

Rubilax hated the cra. He hated her so much it's not even funny and considering he's a demon, that's a lot of hatred. At first, he wasn't sure why he hated her so. She did nothing to warrant that rage, nothing that made her stand out the rest of the human race, those he also hated, but not that much. It took him days of pondering to finally find his answer: he hated her because she was Ombrage.

Not literally, of course. But the eternal mockery against his guardian reminded him of a time where he was the one at the receiving end of identical jokes. That's the reason he hated her so much. Because his guardian was pinning for a Rushu-damned floozy who stepped on everything he believed in.

Iop brain, she told him. Hah! That stupid girl and their friends had no right to mock his guardian! Only Rubilax the Mighty had that privilege! They understood nothing about the burden of a guardian.

Each passing day, his hatred grew. Iop brain. Stupid. Idiot. Cras were famous for their eyesight, but that Evangelyne must have been the exception to the rule, because she was unable to see just how deep that cut into Tristepin's heart. Rubilax couldn't understand such cruelty. He was a demon of carnage. He killed everything and everyone in sight but what that girl did was just plain mean and unnecessary! Something she shared with Ombrage.

His anger and contempt ever festering, he took a while to notice things had changed. One day, he decided to pay attention and discovered that 'Iop-brain' had stopped being a biting remark to become some kind of affectionate nickname. This infuriated him even more. When had that happened? What was that cra plotting now?

Still, as weeks passed, he came to begrudgingly accept that _maybe_ she wasn't up to anything. That contradicted everything he knew about women, but then again, his only experience came from dealing with demons.

However, his anger wasn't subsided, but found another target: her complete inability to be honest with herself. Woman, when the prepubescent boy knows you want to jump the iop, you're doing a terrible job at hiding it. Rubilax was a being of action, and all that dancing around the issue infuriated him. Not being able to understand why she did it also infuriated him. Rubilax was easily angered.

When he met the pompous sadida prince, things began to make more sense. He was as over the top with his affections as Tristepin was, but Rubilax was not fooled. He couldn't put his finger on it, he was just… Fake. Like everything was a calculated move. The fact that even his guardian could feel it did nothing to ease his bubbling anger.

Of course the cra would be guarded. She probably had spent years having to put up with that buffoon. Finding someone who talked almost like that prince would probably make her suspicious. That did not soothe Rubilax's fury. First of all, he thought she should have told that sadida to go bite a bwork. Secondly, Tristepin was unable to put up such an act. And the cra knew that.

So why, Rubilax asked himself? Why couldn't she just say and do what she so badly desired? What reason could she possibly have? It took him an embarrassingly long time to understand. She was only a girl, insecure and scared of what she felt. It was the first time she felt something like that and it made her nervous. How are you supposed to act on something you experience for the first time?

And he eventually came to, if not respect her, at least tolerate her presence. Because, in the end, she was the reason his guardian became as strong as he became. Because he wanted the strength to protect her, to be worthy of her, he fought against everything that came his way. It reminded Rubilax of centuries old forgotten, when everything was simpler and easier.

Because maybe Rubilax was doomed to a life of mediocrity and solitude, but that didn't have to be the norm, did it?

**Hope you liked it. Next time: Ruel Stroud!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's another one! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wakfu.**

3- GREED

Unlike with the rest of the troupe of silly adventurers, Rubilax liked the enutrof from the moment he met him. The kid was confused, the princess was spoiled, the bodyguard couldn't be honest and his guardian was an idealistic moron.

Ruel was different from the rest, and Rubilax was not talking about his flaws as a human being (which were numerous and varied). He was talking about his determination. He knew what he wanted and went for it with reckless abandon. Rubilax liked that. No vague senses of duty or heroism nor mysterious prophecies or draconic words. Ruel wanted kamas and would stop at nothing to get them, no matter the risk he had to undergo. The old man had guts.

Sure, his impossibly huge greed put all of them in danger more than once (and twice and thrice…) but at least the enutrof was honest with his vices. He was an old skinflint and did nothing to hide that fact. You could like it or not, but that would change nothing in the end. The old man loved his kamas and himself.

That was the reason Rubilax was so surprised when the old man eventually came to grow fond of his companions, in a way similar to how Rubilax himself had done. When it came down to it, no matter how much Ruel complained and tried to get out, he ended up putting up with all that heroic crap, putting his own safety in jeopardy during adventures that would (gasp!) provide him with no reward.

In that aspect, Rubilax could understand the old enutrof. Those little naïve idiots had a way to soften you, and Ruel ended up taking the role of the group's dad, probably reminding him of days before his greed wasn't as acute and the weight of the world crushed his naivety. It probably felt good to watch over kids that still thought the world was a just place and everybody gets what he deserves and wants. Rubilax laughs at that notion.

Still, what else could he do? Ruel would never forgive himself if he left those kids alone. They depended on him, the same way he depended on them as the promise of a brighter future. And, even if he would never admit it, Ruel had so much fun running around and saving the world, or whatever.

As much fun, Rubilax mussed, as he himself had.

**Well, damn. I'm having an awful lot of trouble writing the Amalia and Yugo ones. So… Any ideas? XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm awfully sorry for the delay, but I'm finally back and the last two chapters are almost done. Hope you like this one!**

4- PRINCESS

The sadida girl craved attention, which made absolutely no sense. She's a princess, she had entire kingdom devoted to her very whim. One word from her mouth and a hundred soldiers would march into Brakmar and fight for weeks to get her a dress.

That was the reason Rubilax looked down on her. Spoiled, noisy and incredibly selfish, the princess had done absolutely nothing to deserve what she had. Her birth and link with the Tree of Life had given her fortune and power beyond what most people could achieve in a lifetime. To Rubilax, whose philosophy was based in the fact that real power came from a life of difficulties, it was the worst sin one could commit: get something without giving something in return. Everybody had to pay for what they got, be it with money, blood or anything.

She was… A kid. Yes, that was the word he was looking for. She was a kid in the most basic definition: she was spoiled, she never had had to suffer and she thought she was always right.

Still, time would come to prove Rubilax that people are usually deeper that he thought, and that ragtag bunch of misfits had apparently decided to prove that to him. Because, as weeks and even months passed, Rubilx realized something: the princess was the iop.

Not literally, of course, but they were more similar that they would like to admit. Because they screamed and people were forced to notice them and for that it was easy to forget what they actually wanted, and that wasn't attention.

It was respect.

That was what Amalia wanted. She didn't want people to look at her and only see the sadida princess. She wanted them to look at her and see Amalia Sheran Sharm, who did this and that and was something more that the daughter of the king.

And, since comparisons are odious, the sadida looks by her side and sees the cra, who's older, smarter and prettier than her. And it stings. But she also want the approbation of the bodyguards, because she's like the older sister she never had.

That's why she's similar to Rubilax's guardian: they want respect, recognition for things they have done, to be remembered for whom they where and what they did. And they both want the cra to look in their direction with respect and admiration.

So Rubilax sighs and thinks why, no matter what he has believed for centuries, things are never that simple, that plain.

But that's probably fine.


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, this one is pretty short, even compared to previous ones… Well, I hope you like it anyway. The next one will be the last one, and it'll be a little different from the rest.**

5- KID

The kid was anything but that, and it confused Rubilax to no end. In his book, kids are always whining, throwing childish tantrums and being useless. And yes, he remembers the kid kicked his ass, _thank you_.

The kid is nothing like a kid, but he couldn't stop referring to him is such, but that's beside the point. What he means is that the kid had his whole world turned upside down and he took it without losing his smile.

He was always so happy, so helpful, so damn pure, it was nauseating. It made Rubilax want to grab him by the shoulders and shake him silly while screaming at his face that the world does not work this way, you stupid kid!

He had discovered his father was not his father at all! He had to search for a new family! What the hell was wrong with him? Why would he just mop, and cry, and whine like he was supposed to?

Rubilax understood it when they finally succeeded and found said 'family', just before he left with his foster father again after making sure all was in order: it was never a quest to find a lost family. It was a quest to find a lost race.

He wasn't sad for having had his life turned upside down because that never happened. He knew who he was and knew who his family was. No matter what the black dragon had said, the kid already had a family that loved him. The kid went on an adventure not to meet his family, but to meet his race, to know about the story of people similar to him. It seemed like a small difference, but it changed everything. Why cry over a lost life if you never lost it? He could have turned back at any point and he would have had a house and a family, but he didn't because he thirsted for knowledge. He had always been different, he knew, but had never let that sour his existence. When the chance to understand why he was different had arisen, he took it. Just as he could have refused it and it would have made no difference in his life. He already had a family; he had no need to go looking for it.

That's why, even if Rubilax never could stop calling him 'kid', the demon knew he was anything but that.

Kids are unable to take decisions by themselves, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Aaaaaand, here's the last one. It's a bit longer that the ****others, and its format is different. There's a reason for that. **

EPILOGUE- RUBILAX

I gave Rubilax thirty years before I went to reclaim him. Thirty years in which he did nothing but guard the grave of the one he had so grudgingly come to respect. It was deliberate, of course. I actually went to get him the same day his guardian died, but I couldn't bring myself to. As I watched Rubi let himself be grabbed by a normal human, the first time in centuries he had done so without attempting a possession, and get placed on his tombstone, eternally vigilant guardian of the one who had guarded him, I decided to let him some decades to come to terms with the situation.

You see, demons are not good at coping with big changes. I would know, I'm the best demon expert in the world. And Rubi was always a big softie. He had a soft spot for those that would never, ever, give up. Like Pipoun.

Rubilax recognized me instantly, his only eye narrowing.

"Took you long enough."

I didn't answer, instead kneeling in front of the grave of the one who was once my student. I didn't pray, because I knew he was in his heaven, with the woman he loved and the friends he had made, sitting in the clouds shaped like swords, eternally content. I would know, I have a pretty good relationship with the big guys. So, instead of a prayer, I gave him a smile.

"Are you ready to leave, then?" I asked the sword.

For once, Rubi didn't give me a snarky comment, and his pupil looked down.

"Yeah."

I nodded and grabbed him.

"Did you have fun, Rubi?"

"Does sitting on a rock for three decades scream 'fun', to you?"

I smiled. Of course he would tell me that. He was too much of a prideful bull-head to say otherwise. He didn't say a word for days after that. Then, one day, he began to talk again.

"He was an idiot. They all were."

I only smiled, and he continued talking.

"I'm serious, Goultard. You wouldn't believe the trouble they attracted. That buffoon once called Rushu a fart-face. Can you believe that? A fart-face. To the King of Demons. And that cra of his was even worse. At least he had the excuse of having a brain made of stupid."

I laughed.

"You had fun then."

Rubi spat a really long tirade of profanities.

"Of course I did, Rushu damn them!" he finally said. "How could I not? That idiot got into a fist-fight with me! How many centuries had in been since I had been able to do that?"

I laughed again. He fell silent again, this time for weeks. The words he finally spoke were bitter.

"It's not fair, Goultard."

And it wasn't. Of course it wasn't. How could it be? Pipoun had been his friend, his first real friend. They had been partners for almost a lifetime. They had been together for more than seventy years. Of course it wasn't fair. But that's the curse we immortals have to bear. They will die, and we won't. But we can remember them as they were. And that's something.

Still, Rubi is new to this. Pipoun was the first human he really respected and befriended, he'll need time. But that is okay. We have time. And everything ended well. Rubi won't see it this way now, but what he's feeling is good. He'll learn. I learned, and I'm an iop. And he'll look back at those decades he spent with him, with them, and he'll laugh. He'll laugh because he was happy and they were happy.

What else can someone ask out of life?

**Well, I hope you liked them. I'll probably come back to this fandom in little time, but it'll be a different format. See you soon!**


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